Football Federation Australia (FFA) was the sole candidate for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) event, but still had to adhere to the formal bidding process by making its final presentation to the AFC executive committee. Australia was dumped out at the first-round stage of the 2022 World Cup tender last month after picking up just one vote.
AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam said: “The AFC is happy that all the promises Australia has made will be met in good time. We have much interest in seeing the game develop even more in Australia and this is a part of that.”
The tournament is scheduled for January 2015 and will feature the top 16 national teams in Asia. Matches will be played at four or five venues, with an initial shortlist of eight having been put forward by FFA. The shortlisted stadia include Sydney's ANZ Stadium, Sydney Football Stadium, Parramatta Stadium, Melbourne's Etihad Stadium and AAMI Park, Gold Coast's Skilled Park, Canberra Stadium and Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy said: “The Australian nation will be on show not just on the field but also off the field. The people of Australia, the government of Australia are ready and able to host the Cup and ensure that football advances throughout Asia through the efforts of Australia.”
